Samsung Galaxy View tablet: first look

by
Christian Azolan10/29/2015 6:29:06 PM

10/29/2015 6:29:06 PM

Samsung’s Galaxy View tablet was launched at the Gear S2 Galaxy Studio showcase at Westfield White City in London. We went along and had a chance to look over and spend time with the whopper that is Samsung’s largest tablet ever.

Is the Samsung Galaxy View a big tablet or a big monitor?

The first thing you notice is the tablet's size. This is no Slim Jim and in no way is it trying to be. The blend of tablet and monitor is interesting but is being different enough to standout. Will people like it? That's hard to say given that no one has ever used a device this big as there is no way you can use this device using one hand without putting it on either your lap, table or sofa.

What's the screen like on the Samsung Galaxy View?

Samsung claims that the Galaxy View is the biggest Android mobile device in the market and they are right. The View comes with a large 18.4-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080p) display. Customers can buy the device in either Wi-Fi-only or 4G LTE iterations which run with Nano SIM card slots straight out of the box. While reviewing a Wi-Fi only model, we felt the display was decent and the image quality was respectable for a tablet this big.

Does the Samsung Galaxy View come with a handle?

This device comes with a pre-mould handle so you can carry it around without worrying about dropping it as you move from one room to another or from home to office. The handle also transforms into a curved stand so you can lay it on your lap or fold it up so it sits on a surface.

Is the Samsung Galaxy View practical or premium?

If you pit the Galaxy View against any other Samsung Tablet like the Galaxy Tab S2, the Galaxy View falls a little short when it comes to looks, maybe we are looking at it in the wrong way. The View looks like it was designed to be practical and not in any way a premium product. It looks durable and feels durable and you get the impression that it will be able to handle the rough-and-tumble family life of day to day use, or even great for showing colleagues the bigger picture in a meeting, but this is not something you would want pull out to impress a client with as it’s just not made for showing off and impressing.

And these are the specs on the Samsung Galaxy View

The Galaxy View sports a 1.6GHz octa-core processor paired with 32GB of storage, additional storage through microSD, Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 4.1, and 4G should you want to use it out and about. Samsung claim a decent 8.5 hours of video playback. As expected the UI was Samsung's TouchWiz which was easy to use and ran smoothly. At the top of the tablet are volume controls and a power key while the right edge of the device is home to microSD and headphone jack ports.

The Samsung Galaxy View is a TV Binge Helper

The Galaxy View will comes with the usual selection of pre-loaded apps that you would expect from Samsung. However, the View will offer you a little more. Samsung have pushed the boat out and teamed up to bring even more content to the Galaxy View from well-known streaming apps like CNN, CBS, Twitch, Netflix and Hulu.

So how much does the Samsung Galaxy View cost?

The most important thing about any tablet with a big screen is its price. Samsung have not mentioned the pricing of the Galaxy View as yet so we can only guess. If the Galaxy View costs more than £500, it will essentially price itself out of the market. The tablet is simply not unique or premium enough to cost any more. However, if it’s aiming to please the family and be the home or office communal tablet that will do everything at a good pace then the price needs to reflect that.